Stop the Rush: How to Avoid ‘Hangar Rash’

Safe taxiing and parking can prevent costly damage and FOD incidents on the airport ramp.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The airport ramp is crowded space and can be dangerous, so tread lightly. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]

Key Takeaways:

Always move aircraft slowly and carefully on the ground, adhering to painted taxi lines and avoiding shortcuts to prevent expensive "hangar rash" from collisions or prop strikes.
Maintain constant vigilance for foreign object debris (FOD), shadows, drains, and people, and ensure any wing walkers are properly instructed to avoid hazards.
Prioritize safety in all ground operations, especially in challenging conditions like low visibility, making prudent decisions to prevent aircraft damage over strict adherence to minor rules.

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Never be in a hurry when it comes to getting an airplane out of a hangar, its parking spot, or across the ramp. Haste, as they say, makes waste and often results in expensive repairs when a wingtip hits a wall or another wingtip.

Who else has seen someone taxiing across a ramp like they are driving a car in a semi-empty parking lot? It can be downright dangerous, not to mention expensive when pilots try to drive across the ramp, taking a shortcut through the parking places and sometimes turning a wooden chock or a tie-down into a projectile—or, worse yet, clipping the wing or tail of another aircraft because from the pilot seat it can be challenging to gauge how close you are getting to objects off your wingtips.